SACRAMENTO—Assemblymember Jim Wood provided this statement on the introduction of Governor Gavin Newsom’s first state budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

This budget puts people first. His emphasis on Education and Health and Human Services is inspiring and focuses on helping people, especially low- and middle-income families. He continues former Governor Brown’s cautious approach, anticipating slowing growth for the next several years, but has created a vision for California and a way to get there.

SACRAMENTO—Today, the first day of the 2019-20 legislative session, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) introduced AB 38 to respond to devastation caused by the severity of California’s wildfires.

“We must confront this issue head on to make sure our policy reflects the increasing crisis of climate change and do everything we can to protect Californians and our communities from the wreckage that has resulted from these fires,” said Wood.

“We worked on this legislation for two years to make sure we got it right,” said Wood. “Drug prices continue to be a major contributor to ever-escalating health care costs and consumers are paying the price – literally – in increasing health insurance premiums. This legislation will help us understand this marketplace so that we can fix it.”

SACRAMENTO–Today Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., signed SB 901, a bill that will boost the state’s vegetation and forest management, increase requirements for utility infrastructure and protect ratepayers and utility workers. In addition, he signed 28 other wildfire-related bills including three authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa).

SACRAMENTO—On Friday, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., signed AB 1953 by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) which requires owners of long-term care facilities to report more information on how they use related-party businesses in their operations.

Following an attempted closure of three skilled nursing facilities in Eureka by the owner Brius Healthcare, and the potential displacement of more than 100 residents, Wood worked with Humboldt community members and Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) to successfully prevent two of those closures.

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that, “on average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.” Overdoses from prescription opioids are a driving factor in the 16-year increase in opioid overdose deaths and California emergency rooms treat one overdose every 45 minutes.

“If we had a plane crash every day where 120 people onboard lost their lives, the federal government would be hitting the alarm button and doing everything possible to stop that from ever happening again,” said Wood.